Anyone who knows Eric knows that he writes about a little bit of everything, whether it's taking a trip down memory lane, or praising and/or criticizing something or someone.

Siren

Comment

About this blog

By Eric Bergeson

Since 1997, Eric has owned and operated Bergeson Nursery, rural Fertile, MN, a business his grandfather started in 1937. With the active participation of his parents, who owned the business for the previous twenty five years, and his younger brother
...

Since 1997, Eric has owned and operated Bergeson Nursery, rural Fertile, MN, a business his grandfather started in 1937. With the active participation of his parents, who owned the business for the previous twenty five years, and his younger brother Joe, who is now president of the company, the business has nearly tripled in size during Ericís ownership tenure.
The holder of a Master of Arts in History from the University of North Dakota, Eric has taught courses in history and political science at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. He is also an adjunct lecturer in history for Hamline University, St. Paul, MN.
Ericís hobbies include Minnesota Twins baseball, Bach organ music, bookstores, hiking, photography, singing old country music with his brother Joe, and watching the wildlife on the swamp in front of his house eight miles outside of Fertile, Minn.

Sorry about the sparse posts lately. I have been preoccupied with getting a book published. I have hired a very good editor, and she gives me assignments which eat up all of my writing energy.

Yesterday, I decided I needed a change of scenery to get anything done. So, I booked a room in downtown Minneapolis, a suite with an office area. It was a perfect work space, and reasonably priced, at least last night. The whole hotel was pretty outdated and the room I was in was sort of beat up, but it was clean and spacious. So, I thought I might rent it for a few days and work.

Well, the price doubled for subsequent days. So I got on the web and randomly chose a lodge in Siren, WI for my next stop.

It is ideal. Siren is a town of 800 people, just like Fertile, and this is a lodge like what we could use in Fertile. Everything is rustic timber. The rooms are large. There are a lot of little side rooms where I will be able to sit and work in silence. And the price is great. So, I might stay a few days.

The task sounds large, but is not. Last winter, I wrote a manuscript of 70,000 words. Upon review by several trusted advisors, and then a professional editor, it became clear that some parts of the book are much stronger than others. The editor broke it to me gently, but large swaths of the book need to be cut. I just cut 15,000 words two days ago. That amounts to fifteen days of work last winter, but I don't think about that. It doesn't hurt because I now recognize that what is being cut is simply bad writing. I am relieved to have the bad writing eliminated before the book goes to publication.

I also am going to try to add some stories and see if they fit into the book as it stands after the cuts.

And, the most difficult task of all: Finding a title that will sell.

What is most enjoyable is that the editor has succeeded in pointing out to me what writing of mine works and why. I now see what doesn't works and I know why.

Learning is never painless. You must let go of things. Like 15,000 words you thought were good but were not. That can be depressing. And then you wake up relieved to know you will never make that particular mistake again, which is a good feeling. And you press onward, which is the single most crucial element in the entire endeavor.